The Krewe of Barkus is an amazing Mardi Gras parade featuring dogs dressed in a common parade theme. Last year’s theme was Barkus Wars: Return of the K9, which — according to Manor Lake’s own Kim Kochman who was there for the festivities — was an exceedingly enjoyable event.

The Krewe of Barkus (a krewe is an organization responsible for putting on parades and floats — Mardi Gras has hundreds of them) was started in 1993 as a way of promoting the adoption and rescue of homeless animals in New Orleans.

Like most krewes, the Krewe of Barkus has an annual king and queen, and only rescued dogs are allowed to write an essay for me reign as queen, which is a phenomenal tradition. This year’s king was a 12-year-old wirehaired Dachshund named Andouille Lemarie (Dewie) and the queen was a gorgeous Labrador/Pit bull mix named Ashley.

The parade is a wonderful way to enjoy Mardi Gras, celebrate dogs, and to help support homeless animals. You don’t want to miss it. And we’d love to see the parade taken over by Australian Labradoodles!